The present description is related to reinforced articles particularly adapted for use, in combination, with an adhesive to form reinforced adhesive tape articles. More particularly, the present description is directed to such reinforced articles for use in making reinforced adhesive tape articles that are stretchable as well as hand-tearable along with being highly conformable and cinchable.
Typical reinforced adhesive tape articles, such as a duct tape include, in combination, a backing layer generally coextensive to a reinforcing scrim layer, and a pressure sensitive adhesive layer covering the reinforcing scrim layer. The materials selected for the reinforced adhesive tape articles generally exhibit strength and are normally stretch resistant. Such tapes are also generally conformable and adhere to many different substrates having many different surface textures. Because the tapes possess strength and stretch resistance, they ordinarily are hand-tear resistant as well. In some circumstances, tear-propagating perforations may be added for facilitating hand-tearing properties. While this has proven successful, nonetheless, perforating is, of course, an additional processing step requiring specialized apparatus and processing conditions. Accordingly, these additional apparatus and processing requirements add to overall time and costs of manufacturing. Moreover, while the reinforced adhesive tape articles have demonstrated a high degree of versatility for countless different uses, there are, nevertheless, situations (e.g., wrapping around small diameter pipes or applications to other odd and uneven surfaces) wherein their physical characteristics limit their ability to be as highly conformable as might otherwise be desirable. For instance, some reinforced adhesive tape articles, when adhered to some uneven substrates, leave spaces or gaps that may compromise benefits of the sealing intended thereby.
While reinforced adhesive tape articles, such as duct tape, provide innumerable benefits, there is, nevertheless, a continuing desire for improvements, particularly with respect to providing even more conformable reinforced adhesive tape articles that are also stretchable, easily hand-tearable, as well as cinchable.